come for the butter. stay for the changei want to be michael rothenberg when i grow up. no kidding. he is an inspiration. i am in awe of the work he has done/is doing. as a community of creative people, we should thank our lucky stars to have such a humble person repping for us all over the world. if you missed his interview on the Nothing to Lose show last night, you can check it out in the archives... well worth your time. ( http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theliteraryunderground/2013/09/07/nothing-to-lose) toward the end of the show last night, he asked about our little shindig planned for 100 Thousand Poets for Change Day in Danville, Illinois... what do we care about in illinois? well... we care about butter. it's true. there is evidence... The Butter Cow when we decided to pursue finding a place and setting up an event to be a part of 100 Thousand Poets for Change Day, I started thinking about change. what kind of change... i wrote a long rambly statement as i do tend to do and thankfully it is lost to my mess of a desk. i can now sum it up in one word: CONNECTION. because our society as a whole has become all too 2-dimensional on a virtual plane. as great and essential as it is.. none of this would even be possible.. creative people from around the globe connecting.. especially with yahoos, juggalos, and misfits from out in the cornfields. isolation is more than a state of mind when you live in the rural midwest. where everything comes a little bit later and a lot bit slower. if you think or move outside the box, you're likely to get stoned for it and not in the fun way, in the biblical way. my life has certainly been changed by the internet, by connecting online to like-minded fellows. but the real transformation, the stuff that sticks, that gives me the drive i need to keep going even when i'm still out here in the sticks--suffering a bit of rage everytime i have to visit the local walmarts-- it is the connections and experiences that i have had meeting, getting to know, being inspired by and working with these amazing people that i have come to refer to as the asshole poets. dammit, i love them. they gave me the courage and the push that i need to flip the bird to all my silly little issues that said oh you are too much of this and not enough of that. maybe, just maybe, i can get out there and do something worthwhile. from toledo, chicago, milwaukee, oakland, ypsilanti, albuquerque, denver, champaign, cleveland, and even the Jhole. we put together events and come out to support others with the very simple intent to bring people together, to share and appreciate the work, to set aside the egos and the dumb, small press dramas. and maybe it wasn't change that we were after... it was simply inevitable. true connection creates change. on a personal level and beyond. i dare anyone to step outside of themselves, to know these people--these asshole poets. share with them your ideas, sit for a while with theirs. yes, you might find yourself up on stage out in the middle of a cornfield, dancing in a kiddie pool filled with butter. it happens. but what you really might find is connection, something that goes deep down into your soul and changes you forever. and look at that. i got all rambly again. go figure. hope to see you there. and if not this one, the next. luv,mm 
All Kinds to Write A Story: Reaching Other Writers (and Everyone Else)By Sirenna Blas, BlotteratureI was sitting in Julie’s kitchen this morning trying to edit and cut down an elaborate blog post about silence and flash fiction, but I got frustrated, I went home, I slept. When I woke up, I found a post written by Michele McDannold of the Literary Underground/Citizens for Decent Literature that talked about 100 Thousand Poets for Change, which is in its third year. She talked about connection, how important it is to be connected to/with each other?especially in this age where so much is done via screens and keyboards, especially for writers. That’s the change she wants to see. More connection. Continued connection. Writing is not a solitary act. Writing is a community. I remember thinking, back when I first read On the Road at 18, that it would’ve been so cool and inspiring to have a group of friends who met up regularly to just talk writing and life. I had my little MySpace group of poets at that time, who all supported and read each other’s work. But, it wasn’t the same. It was all online, and most of my own in-person friends could hardly care less. I had been dating a string of boys who were all: “*blank face* Why do you write…?” It takes time to build a community. Writing shouldn’t make you feel alone. But it can and it does. Sometimes. And even as I got a bit older, there were people in my life who still went something like: “Why are you choosing to stay in on a Friday/Saturday night, while your friends are out partying, to…*shudder* write?” And then there were even those dreaded: “Yeah, I don’t read.” Well…shit! Me neither…. Ignore the bookcases in my bedroom?here, let me turn off the lights and I’ll seduce you not at all with my intellect?did you know at one point I was a cheerleader? Ugh. Pretty soon it becomes tiring pretending not to care or be interested in something that you’re actually very passionate about. Eventually you realize that the relationships you have with those you are pretending for can only remain superficial. Eventually you start lying: “No, I’m staying in tonight because I’m tired, not because I’ve got this story that I can’t stop thinking about.” Eventually you realize that’s no way to be and that it’s all stupid and you learn not to care if what you enjoy doing is socially acceptable or not, and that’s the stage I’m at now, luckily, but I know it’s not that way for everyone, especially young people. When did this disconnect between writing/creating and “socially acceptable” occur? So. What do we do about it? Do we just keep what we do close to ourselves and not try to seep out into the rest of society and, therefore, maybe sometimes act like we’re better than everyone else, more elite, more whatever, or at least be perceived to be as such? (Oh! such generalizations, of course.) Is this partially why that disconnection might’ve occurred? Do we try sharing our passions and rectify this, and if so, how? A moment to digress. In 2010 or something or other, I connected with Tim online. He was part of the other writers I knew, but he lived near me so we got together and tried to do some poetry stuff in our community. Fail. But, a year later was the first 100 Thousand Poets for Change. Events were taking place all over the world that September, and Tim invited me to travel with him to Elyria, Ohio for the event he was planning on attending. I was finally going to meet some of the poets. Who knew that a couple years later, these people would still be traveling all over the Midwest (and the country) to continue meeting for various readings and events?somewhat for the poetry, mostly for each other. I’ve only been to a few of these events so far (Elyria, Toledo, Jacksonville, IL), but I’ve experienced some things with them that you probably shouldn’t even experience with your closest friends (shout out to Brian), and it always feels like home. Something a little cooler took place in Jacksonville than just friends coming together and being all poet-y, though. There was a handful of us in the rented space (something that was put together like a wedding inside a VFW, complete with the bright white lights and fake plants and random trellis), but a horde of others came in as the reading was about to begin. Juggalos. There to support the metal band that was playing with us that night. One weird-ass combination. Us up on stage reading, someone taking off his clothes, someone else dancing in a pool of butter (*cough*cough* that wasn’t me at all…). And them. And you know what? We danced like batshit idiots to their music. They laughed and listened to our stuff. We all talked and smoked and drank and everyone was just doing what they do?together. Writers need others, too. Writing isn’t an inclusive act only to those who write. In turn: the world needs stories. And it takes all kinds to write a story. No cliché intended. So, if no one will come to us (unless it’s to see a band they like and you just happen to be there…), how do we go about reaching them without simultaneously compromising our work? This is part of the change I want to see. Writing being more relevant. Writing being OK. A high school girl not getting shunned because she likes to write fan-fiction and read at lunch. A boy not being made to feel bad because he’d rather write a poem than watch the football game. And no girl dating someone like the boy I had dated when I was 19 who threatened to cut off my dreadlocks because he thought they were weird and who questioned why I wrote because he also thought it was weird. People are weird. You ain’t no exception just because you don’t write, sweetheart.  Poets Can Dance. There is evidence on YouTube.
Uno Kudo, a collective of artists and writers from across the globe, is proud to announce the release of Volume 2: Naked, on November 20 2012. The book will explore the theme of “being naked” through a unique blend of short stories, poems and artwork that reflect highly talented artists’ interpretations of the word. Following the successful Uno Kudo Volume 1: Ripped (a best-seller on Amazon’s anthology chart), Volume 2: Naked features submissions from both award-winning and fresh new writers and artists from all over the world. Editor in Chief Aaron Dietz (author of Super and Reserved for Emperors) led a panel of judges that chose from hundreds of entertaining, heartwarming, dramatic and funny entries to bring you the very best. With an extremely wide range of subject material, award-winning designer Erin McParland once again pairs each story and poem with amazing and unique artwork. The result is sometimes haunting, sometimes gritty, and sometimes risque but always beautiful. Hitting every emotion, Uno Kudo Volume 2: Naked is a book that will create a buzz on any coffee table. Featuring stories by Chuck Howe, Bud Smith (author of Or Something Like That) and more; poems by Raven Kane, Heather Dorn and more; and art by Kent Williams, Glenn Arthur, Leland Bobbe, and more; Uno Kudo is a must have look into the future of art and literature. The writers and artists of Uno Kudo are passionate about supporting their fellow artists from around the world. They are pleased to announce that all profits from Volume 2: Naked will be donated to the PEN Action Center, a non-profit organization with 144 chapters in 101 countries. PEN’s Freedom to Write program defends the rights of writers, bloggers and artists who face persecution, violence and even arrest for expressing their ideas. Uno Kudo Volume 2: Naked short stories, poetry, art ISBN-13: 978-1478115434 unokudo.blogspot.com
The Point and Purpose of "Your Mother's Medicine Cabinet"from Frank Reardon I've tried to explain the purpose of this series—live on the show—several times, but i failed. As we approach season two, I will explain my reasons for hosting this series. Those who know me very well, know I tend to shy away from doing such things. I am not a big fan of hearing my own voice, hence why I have not listened to one of the shows in archive other than the first one, so I could make sure it came out good. I'm also not a fan of seeing myself on youtube reading poetry, etc. That being said, a while back I read "Voices of the Lady" by an old Venice Beach poet named Stuart Perkoff. Perkoff eventually became one of my favorite dead poets. The voice of the lady, being 'muse', made me start to think of how I could give back to the muse. Maybe that sounds dumb to some people, but I really wanted to give back to it, not because I see it as something spiritual or religious or philosophical, but because it has some sort of odd and deep meaning to me. I buy the books of the living writers when I can afford to, and I still asked myself how I could give back, to put something in and find something positive. Because let's face it, in the art world there are a lot of double dealings, drama, and back-handed conversation, though, that has and never will keep me from doing my own work. People will be people, I guess, whether with art, in the line at the post office, or working for McDonalds. Then I started to look at my bookshelf, the stacks of books on my tables, under tables, etc. I thought to myself damn, I really like a lot of different writers and styles. I seem to like language writers like Berryman, Hart Crane, Creeley, and Olson as much as I like narrative writers like Bukowski, Fante, or Celine. The same could be said with my liking of Kerouac, Li Po, Jeffers, London, Muir, and Gary Snyder. It is the same for a lot of the living writers that I know personally, or know through the internet, or have had the pleasure of reading with... people like John Dorsey, Will Crawford, Jason Hardung, Rob Plath, Scott Wannberg, Iris Appelquist, and April Michelle Bratten, etc. I have found myself equally blown away by them all, but I still thought how could I give back to the muse? Since times are hard, I tend to read dead and living poets online first to see if I like four or five pieces before I ever purchase a book. If it clicks, I buy something. I still see the debates flame on in the realm of the internet world. I guess they'll still be debating the shit one million years from now—who's good versus who's bad. Even though I agree there is bad writing (a lot of it), it's still art, and it's a personal choice, is it not? Anyhow, I started talking with some of the people from The Literary Underground and "Your Mother's Medicine Cabinet" was born. The purpose of it is not to showcase one writing style or philosophy (like my bookcase). The purpose of it is to bring together all the different styles of writing. My only prerequisite was that the writer has books, or a book from a publisher other than themselves, or the publisher had a name going for them in the small press world. The title of the series, "Your Mother's Medicine Cabinet" is a lot like my bookcase, a lot of different things to pull off the shelf, a lot of different highs, different adventures. Anyone who has ever done drugs, knows that moms have an excellent 'bookcase' of highs in the bathroom cabinet. This show is the only way I can give back to the muse. People helped me a lot when I was struggling to find my voice. People gave me a chance to publish in their journals or publishing house. People bought my books, set me up at readings all over the country. People gave me couches and food at their homes while I was in their towns giving readings. So, I figured if I can help connect some of these people to other people, help them sell books, help their name grow, even if by a fan or two, then, I have helped the muse grow, even if just a little bit. Sure, this all might sound corny, and like I said I don't expect some sort of "blessing" from the muse, but what I do and always have believed in is the old saying "What goes around comes around." I don't think I have a sense of duty, or a sense of entitlement. I'm not delusional—I know it is blogtalk radio. But, the funny thing is, we have only two to four shows a week running at the moment, and yet we have had over 3,000 listeners this month. People are listening. People are connecting. For what it's worth, that makes me happy. Whether it's language, haiku, narrative, truths, etc. is of no concern to me. Connecting and growing beyond the “me, me, me” and putting out good writing is what concerns me. Moving this culture away from "stupid is cool" is what concerns me. It's not the books they're reading, or not reading, it's that they're reading, again.
Studio Eight — Uniting the Arts Block Party - A Spring Poetry and Image JamApril 15, 2011 - May 31, 2011 "Bring your photos, your artwork and your creative words. Bring your spontaneity from one fertile mind to another. Share springtime where you live and see spring come to life where others live! Let's let our block expand internationally and celebrate the beauty of spring!"
| 
Tim Murray of Valparaiso, Indiana, recites one of his poems during Zygote in My Fez at the Collingwood Arts Center. - THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON[/caption]